[Hamuth]

hi to u all

Software company which develops Encryption software. i.e software which uses algorithms to encrypt files.

Does these software company have the proper algorithms to decrypt the encryption algorithm????

I'am asking it, in order to tackle a question on my assignment on Computer forensics where i have an encerypted file and i have to preview the content of the encrypted file. I tried Hexwork shop but cannot display content. Winhex also could not.

Note i know software which can decrypt algorithms but for my assignment it wont be accepted as the encrypted files uses a .11A extension which is fake.

Thanks you

[aetherh4cker]

You have to 'preview' the content? Like decrypt it?

True encryption algorithms used in software are pretty much unbreakable. Official programs use things like AES, Serpent, and Twofish. None of these would be suitable for a class, because none of them could be broken within the course of the semester.

[Chankama]

If you get a properly encrypted file (with a good algorithm), you won't really be able to tell what it was encrypted with by just looking at it. Extensions mean nothing. And "previewing" an encrypted file just doesn't make any sense - unless the word "preview" means decrypting part of the content (i.e. one block).

Maybe they want you to decrypt one block of the encrypted content if it was was a block cipher. Of course there are stream ciphers as well.

If they had used the recommended bit strength of the "good" algorithms, there is not way that you'll be able to break even a single block on your personal computer within your lifetime. I remember my security prof told me a few years ago the bare minimum for today's use should be around 80-bits and 64-bit is no longer acceptable. Everyone uses 128 or 256 bit these days though - for symmetric ciphers that is. Asymmetric ciphers have different bit strength requirements.

And yes, security companies that implement these applications that claim that they handle some algorithm, I am sure did it correctly. Even a "slight" inaccuracy would result in amazingly different results. I am sure they verify the algorithms with reference encryptions/decryptions to ensure accuracy. If they passed them, the chance of them screwing up is very small.